Instruments, particularly percussion instruments, are often mounted to a supporting structure, such as an instrument stand or rack, so that the musician can readily access a number of individual instruments in an organized manner. One such instrument is a drum, which, when assembled on a supporting structure, forms a drum set. A simple drum set might include a bass drum supported on the floor, a snare drum supported on a floor-mounted stand as well as two tom-toms and two cymbals fixedly mounted to a drum stand. However, much more elaborate and complex drum sets are common. As the drum set increases in complexity, the number of drums (including bass drums, snare drums, tom-toms, etc.) attached to the drum stand increases. This occurs, in part, because of the need to create and maintain a fixed and organized arrangement of percussion elements (including drums, cymbals, etc.) from one session to the next.
In such drum sets, a drum is attached to the drum stand using a clamp. Specifically, the clamp is mounted to the drum and is attached to a cylindrical holding rod that protrudes from the drum stand and acts as an anchor for elements, such as a drum, to be affixed to the drum stand. Holding rods can be either fixed or adjustable relative to the drum stand. The clamps known in the art are generally designed to provide maximum adjustability along with a tight fitting and stable connection between the drum and the drum stand.
It is, therefore, common to use clamps that include a screw locking mechanisms. In particular, the clamp is attached to the holding rod and a cylindrical groove is exposed for receiving a bar attached to the drum. The bar is held within the cylindrical groove using a screw locking mechanism, which has a screw aligned on the opposing side of the bar from the cylindrical groove. The screw locking mechanisms often have an enlarged tab or a pair of wings on the distal end of the screw—or opposing bolt, if present—so that the screw can be adjusted by hand. However, tools (e.g., a screw driver and/or a wrench) may be necessary to provide the proper level of tightness and, thus, locking engagement.
Setting up the drum set can require a significant amount of time. Each drum must be attached to the drum stand by hand. This requires that the corresponding clamp be secured to the holding rod by inserting the holding rod into an aperture in the clamp and, then, tightening the screw locking mechanism to engage the holding rod.
Once all of the drums are attached, it may still be necessary to adjust the drum set if the drums are not properly arranged. This requires loosening or detaching a number of clamps, positioning the corresponding drum in the proper arrangement and attaching the clamp to the holding rod to form a secure connection.
In addition, taking down the drum set after use is similarly time consuming. Each clamp must be loosened by hand or using the same tools used to provide the desired level of tightness.
The time expended to set-up a drum set, adjust the drum set to be in the proper arrangement and take-down the drum set after use is exacerbated by the need to provide a very tight and secure attachment between the drum and the drum stand.
There is a commonly held belief in the art that the drum must be tightly and securely attached to the drum stand, to the greatest extent possible. It is thought that a loose connection will negatively impact the acoustic properties of the drum set, for instance, by causing rattling, reducing tonal clarity and increasing drum shaking and bounce, which impedes the user's ability to properly strike the surface of the drum.
Another reason for this belief is that a loose connection using known clamps is more likely to result in a shifting movement of the drums relative to the drum stand during use, which will impact the user's ability to perform and result in an interruption of use. For example, as the drums move out of the proper arrangement during use, it becomes necessary to adjust the position and orientation of the drums as was required during and/or immediately subsequent to set-up. Exacerbating the problem, the amount of force required to tighten the fastener to the desired level of locking may result in the inadvertent actuation of another adjustable element of the drum stand.
An additional problem arises in that frequent set-up, adjustment, and take-down of the drum set causes wear upon the clamp and the holding rod as a matter of routine use. In particular, the screw locking mechanisms become increasingly loose, which requires additional effort to provide the desired level of tightness, and the holding rods become pitted or stripped, which impedes the tightening of the clamp thereto. Wear and tear is of particular significance to drum sets because precise and uniform arrangement of drums is desired from one session to the next and the degradation of the connection between the drum and the drum stand results in more frequent and significant movement of the drums relative to the drum stand.